When King Joash’s mentor (the priest Jehoiada) died, and new set of advisors quickly stepped in to fill the vacuum. And they led him away from the Lord. They led him so far from the Lord that when Jehoiada’s son Zechariah came to Joash to challenge him, Joash had him killed! Well, some time later a couple of this trusted advisors decided to assassinate the king for that very action! Jozacar and Jehozabad killed their own king, while he was weak, wounded from battle.

So it is with sin.

We often have this picture in our mind of Satan with hooves for feet, a spaded tail, head horns, a pitchfork, and a generally red hue. LOL. No. Satan is never — NEVER — going to come to you and say, “Hey! I’m evil and have your destruction as my goal! I want to lead you astray and bring you to a place that will ultimately be your destruction.” Who would do that? Satan is evil… not a MORON. No, what he will actually do is promise you something fun and shiny and new.

Maybe your struggle is lust and he brings someone into your path to disrupt your marriage, or brings some pornography to your attention. Surely nothing bad came come from abusing the gift of sexuality or allowing it to control you… right?

Maybe your struggle is “the almighty dollar” and he brings you a deal that will make you some quick money if you’re willing to cut a corner here and there or take advantage of someone. Hey, it’s a jungle out there! Dog eat dog… right?

Maybe your struggle is glory/power and so Satan brings you the offer of career advancement if you just throw a coworker under the bus, or compromise your commitment to the church, or sacrifice more time with your family. But once you have that power, you’ll start using it for good… right?

Satan is a loser who knows he’s a loser. And he’s just trying to do as much damage as possible on the way down.